FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton men's golf wrapped up its fall schedule after competing in four tournaments with its best finish coming in the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate and the Bill Cullum invitational with fourth place finishes.
In the other two tournaments the Titans competed in this fall they finished in ninth place in both the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate and the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational. Fullerton finished the four tournaments with an average round score of 286.
Castillo Makes History
Sophomore transfer Derek Castillo earned first place at the Bill Cullum Invitational at the Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley Tuesday with a score of 14-under par 202. The three round score of 202 is tied for the tournament record.
Castillo started off the tournament with a score even at par 72 and was tied 23rd after round one. In rounds two and three Castillo shot a 7-under par 65 to move up to first place at the end of round two and control it throughout round three. The first place finish is Castillo's first of his collegiate career.
The first year transfer has been nothing short of spectacular in the final round of tournaments so far this season, shooting an average score of 69 in the third and final round which ranks him 25th in the nation. Castillo is also ranked 25th in the nation in versus par scoring with a -1.83.
Castillo's individual victory is the Titans first since Mark Anguiano finished the Folino Invitational in first place in February, 2014.
Titans Top in Statistical Rankings
Fullerton may not be ranked as a team nationally, however, the Titans are ranked amongst the leaders in a few statistical categories. The Titans are averaging a score of 72.42 per round for each athlete completing which ranks them 54th in the nation out of a total of 999 ranked.
Much like Castillo who finished the third and final rounds of tournaments strong, the Titans as a whole are doing the same. Fullerton is averaging a score 71.40 in the last round which ranks it 11th in the nation out of 1048 ranked. The Titans are also ranked 11th in the nation in subpar strokes per round at 3.92.
The Titans have shown they can handle tough courses, ranking 23rd in the nation in scoring on a Par 4 with an average score of 4.06 while also being ranked 21st in Par 5 scoring with an average of 4.70.
Titans Start Strong
The Titans finished the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate with a 12-under par 840 to earn a tied for fourth place finish with South Dakota in their first tournament of the season.
CJ Coleman earned a third place tie with a 9-under par 204. Coleman shot back-to-back 67's on the first day of the collegiate while finishing the third round with a 1-under par 70.
Mark Cobey and Derek Castillo tied each other in 16th place with a 2-under par 211, both shot a 70 in the final round. Matt Wilson finished tied for 28th with a 2-over par 215 while Davis Holman rounded out the group tied for 54th with a 9-over par 222. Holman struggled in the first two rounds of the collegiate but came back in round three to shoot an impressive 2-under par 69.
The Titans have a long hiatus to work on their game before returning to the links Jan. 29 with the Waves Challenge as they start the spring schedule in Somis, Calif.
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